Clearing my throat, I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Your father would be so disappointed,” she said, the words piercing me like nothing else could. “He loved both you boys so much.”
Toby hung his head.
“Now I’ve got to go check in on the shop. Archer, you take Toby to get a tree and wrap it up for him. Andno arguing.”
She left us both standing there in thick silence.
Toby moved first, carrying his red cup over to the trash can by the wall to toss it inside. “I can just grab one on my own and carry it to my car,” he offered.
“No,” I said, drawing his eyes. “Mom asked me to do it, so I will. Besides, you couldn’t even lift one of those trees if you tried.”
His spine stiffened, and his lips twisted. “Watch me.”
Turning on his heel, he stormed out of the kitchen, and I gave chase with Marlowe barking and rushing to follow.
Outside, Toby turned in the wrong direction.
“Wrong way,Doctor,” I called, emphasizing the doctor part. He thought he was so smart.
He stopped and glanced up at the sky, and I imagined him praying for patience. It was a look I was familiar with because he inspired it in me as well. He turned back and stomped past, ignoring the smug smile I wore just for him.
I strolled along behind him as he trudged, watching the obnoxious fur on his hood blow around in the wind, which was suddenly much sharper.
My heart skipped a beat when his heel caught in a patch of hay, and his arms flailed wildly as he struggled for balance. As mad as I was, I couldn’t let him fall. Just like I couldn’t let the mistletoe smash into his face before.
Shooting forward, I reached out, catching him just as his feet went over his head and his body fell back. He landed with an oomph, my arms the only thing keeping him from slamming into the cold ground.
Surprised, he looked up, our faces so close I could see the flecks of gold in his stare and the pink on the tip of his nose. A beat passed between us, and the tip of his tongue darted out to wet his lower lip. “Thanks.”
“You should be more careful.”
The words brought a shutter crashing down to guard his expression, his body going tense as he scrambled up. “I didn’t ask for your help,” he said, the terse words punctuated by a puff of white air in front of his lips.
“Well, if I let you fall, you’d probably sue.”
I thought I saw the barest hint of hurt flash in his eyes, and I started to feel a little sorry until I reminded myself we weren’t friends.
Toby turned and disappeared into the barn, and I cursed beneath my breath.What the hell is wrong with me?Mom was right. We were adults. Yet the minute I saw him, it was like I was a kid all over again.
When I went inside, I found him standing in front of the four cut trees we had left. I made a mental note to cut more first thing in the morning and then headed over just as he reached into one and pulled it upright.
Without hesitation, I reached right between the branches so I could grab it too.
He jolted in surprise, the action making our fingers brush near the trunk. A shiver of awareness tickled my spine and stalled my breath.
“What are you doing?” Toby asked, voice breathless.
“Holding it up so you can step back and look at it.”
“I don’t need you to.”
“Just do it so we can get this over with.”
Toby slid his arm from the branches, careful to avoid another accidental touch. He walked back and studied the tree, then shook his head.
“Can I see that one?” he asked, pointing to the one beside it.
